California pulled the plug on new school air conditioners, leaving $200 million unspent

CalMatters reports that California paused its school air conditioning funding program in 2024, citing budget constraints, leaving two hundred million dollars unspent. The CalSHAPE program was designed to help schools upgrade their HVAC systems, but only one hundred seventy-two of more than four thousand five hundred schools that identified problems actually got funding before the application window closed. An audit found an overly complicated process contributed to the problem. Lawmakers are now considering redirecting seventy million dollars of the remaining funds to an unrelated virtual power plant program. As students return to school during intense summer heat, many districts struggle to keep classrooms cool. Research shows a single degree temperature increase reduces student learning by one percent. The unspent money reverts to utilities by year's end unless the state acts.

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